Faint Memories
by Circle of Phoenix
Summary: Zack and Cloud have gone back in time and the problem is Sephiroth got there first. There is no time to train and there is definitely no chance of them getting any help from those they once relied on... What awaits in the future when things have already happened once?


In one last ditch effort to save herself, Gaia gathered the last of her memories and will in a single form. Two beings would survive her destruction and only by nurturing one could the other ever hope to regain the power he once had. Time cracked and split, the force known as Gaia ripping apart under the force of Meteor's awesome magic. The world as the humans knew it ended and pulled back in taking with it everything the Lifestream was.

Lightning flashed high above the trees, drowning out the pounding of a SOLDIER's heart when he suddenly jerked to full wakefulness. The last thing he had been aware of was the choking sensation of blood filling slowly into his lungs. He was already on his feet and moving towards the door when he stumbled into a heavy object and flipped over the item. Landing with a heavy thud, Zack Fair glared up at the glow in the dark stars that decorated his bedroom ceiling.

Horror filled the Soldier as he felt his eyes widen even further. The sudden flickering of his light coming on furthered the dark haired warrior's sinking feeling. His mother's voice penetrated the self inflicting darkness as her pale hand reached out to touch his shoulder.

Faster then she could blink, Zack flipped to his feet and landed in a guarded stance nearly five feet from her with the bed between them. "Mom?" he asked, the burn of mako tinting his eyes vision green as the woman let out a startled breath.

"Zack, how did you…" she whispered softly. "It must have been when the Reactor exploded. The doctors said there would be side affects and…"

"No, mom, listen. I… I think it was just a bad dream. You know? Like too many movies or something. You know what they say, too much TV and not enough exercise can cause things like that." Zack interrupted. "I'll… just go back to bed, okay?"

It had to be his own mind playing games on him, but he could have sworn his mother looked faint there for a second. "I'll be fine, mom." he insisted. Walking around his bed, he gently pushed her from his room and shut the door behind her. Leaning on the thin wood, the Soldier trapped in a teenagers body slid down the surface with a groan.

He had a feeling he knew exactly what was going on and none of it looked very good.

"Oh, Planet, what is the point of this?" he groaned. "Send us back in time? Make it all happen over again? For what? So Sephiroth can get screwed and screw us over again?"

Moaning quietly, Zack nearly strangled when he heard his mother's footsteps approach his door again. This time they were accompanied by the heavy thud of someone else. Steps that Zack Fair had prayed never to hear again.

"Oh, sweet Planet, not him." The boy groaned. His father always left him feeling like a small child, no matter what age he was. Pushing himself up and away from the door Zack swiftly moved towards his open bedroom window. Casting a glance over his shoulder, he got one last look at his parents before he dived through the opening. Rolling, Zack came to his feet after crashing through his family's trees and rubbed a spot on his head where he ended up smacking it.

"Damn," he cursed when he noticed the Shin-Ra military presence. "Okay, I can do this. Just need to get out of town and figure out where to go from there."

Carefully, Zack edged around the military vehicles parked up and down his street until he was just about even with the village inn. Inside, he could hear the various conversations being carried out by different troops and personal. Laughter bubbled up from a woman as she giggled something inappropriate into a man's ear. The man's barking laughter however sent a cold chill down Zack Fair's spine.

"Angeal…" he whispered, turning bright eyes towards the Inn's windows. Slowly, he crept closer, knowing that if he was spotted he would be hauled back home by the ear. Shaking off the image, Zack nearly spluttered when he saw a heavily made up woman leaning all over his old mentor. Frowning sharply at the sight, he was just about to say something when a hand tightened in the back of his night shirt. Gagging on the pull of fabric around his neck, Zack kicked out with a swift kick.

Catching his captor in the gut, Zack scowled sharply when he was yanked into the light by Sephiroth himself. Only it was a younger version of the Great General he had once called friend. "Yo." he greeted weakly.

An arm still rubbed at what apparently was now bruised flesh as the green eyed man glared down at him.

"Think you can stop choking me?" he asked, wrapping fingers around his captor's wrist. "It's a little hard to breathe."

"Zack Fair," Sephiroth drawled, smirking darkly at the young teenager. Blue eyes widened frantically as the General tightened his fingers into a vice like grip. "What a coincidence…"

He broke off when a sharp blade swung in the direction of his tightening arm. Dropping the dark haired boy, Sephiroth leaped back when a spiky blond child dropped with a crouch between the two SOLDIERs. Zack felt his eyes comically widen once again when he figured out just who it was between himself and Sephiroth. A long blond ponytail draped against Cloud's back as he shifted his feet in response to Sephiroth's slight change of position.

"How endearing. The two of you have come to keep me amused." he drawled softly.

"Sephiroth," Cloud growled, readjusting his grip on the heavy standard sword given to all SOLDIERs.

Zack momentarily wondered who he knocked unconscious to get his palms on the weapon before he flipped himself to his feet. "Yo, Spike, this isn't the place. Seph's got some back up inside. I know you can take him, but Angeal and Genesis would definitely put us in a pinch."

"I know." Cloud answered. "It's not like he's just going to let us go though."

Zack frowned, weighing their options when a ring tone echoed out from Sephiroth's pocket. Frowning, the maddened General yanked the device from it's holster under his coat and opened the phone. Pressing it to his ear, the silver haired man glared hotly at the two children as he answered.

"What is it?" he demanded.

"Sir, we've got some trouble. Three SOLDIERs were knocked out and there's a child missing somewhere in Gongaga. We suspect that the missing boy may be behind it." A silver brow rose sharply as Sephiroth smirked at them.

"It's fine. I'm taking care of the situation. Stay where you are." he ordered. Closing the phone, Sephiroth pocketed the device. "Now, where were we? Ah, yes, we were having a family reunion. Cloud's been to those, haven't you, boy? Want to tell Fair how it works?"

Growling, the blond raised his sword higher into the air.

"Oh man," Zack whispered. "This is not in my game plan."

"Sephiroth, what's going on here?" Angeal's voice called out. Tensing, Zack Fair moaned even louder when a hand gripped the back of his shirt once more. "Why are these two kids out here?"

"They decided they wanted to play SOLDIER." Sephiroth answered. "I merely wanted to offer them a few tips."

"With a live weapon?" Angeal prompted as Genesis strode past him and apprehended the sword from Cloud's grip. The red haired man reached out and plucked the slight blond up from the ground. Cloud visibly tensed, arms and legs shifting into an unarmed combat stance as a hand wrapped around Genesis's own wrist.

Zack whimpered when he heard the ominous creak of leather under pressure. Cloud had just fractured reinforced material with his grip alone. Who knew all those dips into the Lifestream would give him that much physical strength?

"Spike, we need to get home. Now." Zack called out. Maybe his mom would go easy on him if he explained he was just helping out a friend. Sephiroth would count as a bully, wouldn't he?

Angeal made a fist in the back of Zack's pajama top as he examined both boys. "What's really going on here?"

Zack cursed harshly under his breath and earned a cuff to the top of his head. "Watch it, kid." Angeal ordered. "Sephiroth, this is completely unlike you."

The silver haired man arched a brow at his old friend before lightly shrugging. "It's as I said. They needed a few pointers to help them understand their game better."

Genesis growled as suddenly Cloud whipped his head around and sank his teeth sharply into the man's bare fore arm. Dropping the malicious blond, he cursed when he spotted the blood. Cloud backed up several feet to stand beside Zack with narrowed blue eyes.

"Just playing SOLDIER, huh?" Genesis observed as he tossed the blade down at his feet. "Little brat."

Cloud's jaw tightened just as Zack reached out and jerked the smaller kid closer to him. "Keep it cool, Spike." he warned.

"Zack," the blond responded. "we're screwed."

"Yeah, mom's gonna roast my butt." he answered. "Now shut up and let me handle this."

Cloud shot a sharp look to his friend as he shrugged off Angeal's grip. "Thanks for the pointers, mister, but I got to get my little brother back home. Mom's not going to be happy he was out so late."

(break)

Sephiroth furrowed his brow as Zack Fair grabbed the smaller Cloud by his bony wrist and hauled the child with him back the direction they had come. In those few moments, the General had come to an understanding. Zack Fair was going to keep their war between the three of them.

Intriguing.

Too bad Genesis and Angeal were present. It would have been fun to end their pathetic resistance early in the game. The rapid foot steps of Angeal snapped Sephiroth momentarily back to himself right before the dark haired son of Jenova planted a fist against his jaw bone. Knocked savagely back two steps, Sephiroth shook his head.

Rubbing at the bruised flesh, he waited for an explanation. "They're children, Sephiroth. Not game pieces to be toyed with simply because you don't have enough to do."

"Are you drunk?" Genesis asked, stepping over the dropped sword.

"I had two or three before coming out here. That's not the point I am making here. There is no need to teach children when the barracks are full back home." he pointed out.

Sephiroth shook his head. He had almost forgotten what their honorable brother was like. Like Zack and Cloud though not without some motivation to join their cause. Resigning himself to Angeal's anger, the general offered him an amused smile.

"Then let us be done with this assignment. It' s become boring." he answered him.

Sighing, Genesis turned on his feet to return to the Inn. "We have a test to study for in the morning. I have no wish to fail it because I am exhausted. Come up when you are ready to."

Angeal waited, crossing his arms over his chest as Sephiroth met him glare for glare. Amused the General crossed the open Inn yard to join Genesis in their shared rooms. He would humor them for now. It had been several years since he spent any amount of time with either of them.

"As you wish." Sephiroth agreed, following their elder brother up the steps. He would need a decent time to reveal the full truth of their relationship, however, now was not the time. He wanted Zack Fair and Cloud Strife to be part of the package. It would take a few more months before that could happen. Hojo had to be shuffled into the right place and Hollander needed to be eliminated. There was so much work to be done and he was going to enjoy every last minute of it.

In the end, he would have his God-hood and the entire world would bow at his feet.

(break)

"Oh god, oh god, oh god! Spike we just about died. Again." Zack moaned, grasping the front of his pajama shirt as Cloud watched him in amazement. "There is never anything right with picking on Sephiroth. Cloud, do you have any idea what about happened there?"

Shrugging, the miniscule blond waited for his friend to calm down. "Zack," he whispered.

"Yes, Spike, I know. I know all about the whole Jenova-thing." he answered softly. "What I need to know is how he knew I was there."

"It's not Jenova's cells in our blood. It's the Sephiroth Gene. He… did something to Jenova and took over. Jenova is as much a puppet as I was, now." Cloud answered him.

"Oh, that's just wonderful. So how the hell do we find him and avoid him?" Zack growled. "At least until we're strong enough to take him on."

Smiling, Cloud crossed his arms. "Don't you mean when we're old enough?"

"The heck does that mean?" Zack answered.

"I'm eleven, Zack. I left my eleventh birthday party to get here and intercept Sephiroth before he could kill you." Cloud responded. "That makes you…"

"Fourteen." he whispered. "Dang it. That's the age I was when I ran away to Midgar."

(break)

His mother for lack of better terms was most unhappy with him. She was twice as unhappy with Cloud though. His blond 'brother' was visibly wilting as she lectured him on all the things that could go wrong when a small child his age just ran away from home. If he hadn't been in trouble himself he might have snickered.

Or poked fun at his unfortunate friend.

As it was, Zack was forced to sit at the table while his father spoke to another frantic mother on the other end of the phone and tried to explain how her child traveled half a continent to Gongaga from Nibelheim.

Yeah, it was amusing, given their situation.

Finally after two hours and a very quiet conversation between Cloud and his mother things settled down. Bunked down in his room, the two friends stared silently up at his ceiling. "So, Spike, what happened?"

"Sephiroth summoned Meteor and ended the world." Cloud answered. "With all the power that was released you can guess what happened."

"You cast an exit spell, didn't you?" Zack prodded, rolling up on his shoulder to stare down at the blond in his borrowed sleeping bag.

"Yeah." he answered a few minutes later. "It seemed like the only thing to do."

"Wow. How'd I get pulled along for the ride?" he furthered.

"Gaia, I'm sure had something to do with it." Cloud answered, twisting so that he was laying in another more comfortable position. "Zack, what do you think is going to happen next?"

"No telling, to be honest. Seph has something to lose now. He's got 'geal and Gen back." he responded softly. "He'll be more interested in bringing them in on his plans. Last time though… I had to kill them both."

Cloud remained quiet at the revelation. "We should find out what happened to Vincent. As it is, he's the only one who could have the power to help us stand up to Sephiroth."

"Wouldn't he still be locked up in Hojo's lab?"

Groaning, Cloud tucked his head into his covers. "We need to get some sleep. Sephiroth and the others are still in town and that mad man enjoys playing with me."

"I noticed. Man, Cloud, you really must get under his skin." Zack laughed as he closed his eyes. "But you're right. We need to be ready for anything in the morning."

Cloud was silent for a moment. "My mother is going to kill me."

"Which mother do you mean?" Zack couldn't help but ask.

"Don't even go there." Cloud warned him, voice dripping with murderous intent as the dark haired Zack laughed at him. "Or I'll tell yours you were planning to run off to Midgar."

Zack shot the smaller boy a horrified look. "You… are… evil."

Cloud blinked tiredly at him. "I had Sephiroth in my head for a number of years."

"I thought I was in your head." Zack defended.

Cloud was ominously silent after that. "You both were."

"Oh yeah. That's why you became such a kick ass SOLDIER-type person." Zack beamed.

"Zack, shut up and go to bed." His mother yelled from across the hall.

Snickers from the drowsing Cloud followed a blushing Zack into sleep a few moments later.

(break)

This is what morning had to offer the five Soldier variants and their life styles. Cloud Strife jumped to his feet by four thirty in the morning, bent on making all of his delivers on time. He stumbled to a halt when he remembered that he was in all actuality only eleven years old and there for unable to actually accomplish this goal.

Sephiroth awakened promptly at five in the morning and proceeded with the difficult chore of getting Genesis and Angeal up in time to face the music. There was a moment when the General in him largely considered the benefits of small children and teenagers when neither of the two SOLDIERs seemed willing to actually answer to that call.

Zack Fair finally came to life at eight thirty that morning and left a bored Cloud stumped how someone can go from log to action that swiftly. All before they had morning coffee. Or in Cloud's case cereal heaped with sugar. Shuddering the blonde child watched the Fair family go through the motions of their day until a knock echoed dully through their ear drums.


End file.
